GM vice chairman Bob Lutz has heard all of the critics who
question GM's aggressive ramp for the Volt, but is still committed to moving
forward.

"There is a lot of skepticism within the company about
the timeline," said Lutz. "People are biting their nails, but those
of us in a leadership position have said it has to be done."

GM is hoping to use the Volt as a halo car to further strengthen
its brand and its commitment to fuel economy. Dodge used the Viper to enhance its image
for performance and styling in the 1990s. Toyota used its Prius at the turn
of the century to shroud the entire company with a green image despite the fact
that gas guzzlers
like the Tundra and Sequoia share the same showroom space.

"When they think of GM, the iconic brand is,
unfortunately, the Hummer," continued Lutz. "That perception needs to
change.

The GM Volt features a 1.0 liter, 3-cylinder gasoline engine
which is solely used to recharge the onboard lithium-ion battery pack. The
battery pack, which will be manufactured by Compact Power and
Continental Automotive Systems, powers the Volt's electric motors for
forward propulsion.

GM says that the Volt can travel for up to 40 miles on
battery power alone. After the 40 mile threshold has been reached, the gasoline
engine kicks back in again to recharge the battery pack.

The entire industry has its eyes on GM and its Volt. Toyota
took a big risk with its Prius and it has paid off dearly for the company.

"We have since realized that letting Toyota gain that
mantle of green respectability and technology leadership has really cost us
dearly in the marketplace," Lutz added. "We have to reestablish GM's
leadership and the Volt is, frankly, an effort to leapfrog anything that is
done by any other competitor."

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Don't most homes have a 20A breaker? Not saying you couldn't upgrade, I happen to have a spare 240V outlet in my garage on a 20A line (4800W), but that may not be true in all cases. Regardless, it might be a good idea to have an electrician come out and take a look at things, maybe install a higher capacity circuit for recharging vehicles.

Plus I would assume that recharging would be done at night for most people at cheaper rates.

I think there may be some 25A ones, but 20A is pretty standard for kitchens and the like I think.

However, note that there are some fuzzy's in the calculation. One is "about 6 hours", it may be 6.49 and rounded off. Also, "110V" lines are typically 117 to 120 Volts I think. 110 V may be only be where they've three-phase into homes rather than the standard split 240V single phase which I think is more common for homes.

Also a typical "recharge" probably isn't from a dead-zero dead doornail battery state. It might be assumed to be 20% charged or some such.

208 3 phase systems generally tend to run at the 120 volt range as well. Generally if you see 110v on the line its due to poor wiring, or long runs of wiring incapable to transmit the full voltage. Residential wiring usually is delivered in the 120 volt range to avoid voltage drops that would cause excessive heat due to lower voltage, causing higher amperage draws on the equipment being run on that power. Once you hit 100v, most equipment, motors especially, will overheat and fail. I think the 110v designation is purely due to the commonly understood naming, not the actual voltage used to compute the time.

I wonder if it has the capability to manually run the motor, to charge the battery, say, on the ride home to not have to spend so much time charging off the pole?

"I wonder if it has the capability to manually run the motor, to charge the battery, say, on the ride home to not have to spend so much time charging off the pole?"

Charging the batteries via an AC outlet is completely and entirely optional. Its there so you can plug your car in when you get home, giving you a low-cost initial 40 mile charge. This would actually be enough for a lot of people's daily drive, or at least a large chunk of it. If you don't charge it up, or after your battery runs low, there's no need to manually run the engine. When the batteries reach a certain point, the engine will kick on and will charge the batteries while you drive. It's able to provide enough power to charge the batteries and propel the vehicle, so there's no need to ever run the engine manually as it will run and shut off as-needed.

They could have extended the battery-only range, but it would mean larger/more expensive batteries, as well as increased charging time. 40 miles is a good compromise between cost and usefulness, and again, the car will still be more efficient than a non-hybrid even after the initial charge runs out (due to the engine running at highly optimized ranges, regenerative braking, etc).

Also the drivetrain is designed to be flexible. It could be a turbo inline 3 flexfuel motor (E85 and regular gasoline), or it could be a diesel, etc. Any combustion engine that can be used to generate electricity, could be mated to their setup.